Page 3 of The Orc’s Sweetheart (Creatures & Cottages)

Chapter 3

Tilly

M y heart patters away in my chest, excitement and nerves warring with each other as Cape Easton Harbor comes into view.

My new life is waiting for me just beyond the horizon.

I glance over at Audrey who is in such a zone, belting out the lyrics to a rock song with smoky female vocals while driving this car like it’s an extension of her being. She’s always loved noisy cars, loud music, and has an immense amount of energy—three things that set us apart from each other. I’m going to miss the way we lovingly bicker, pushing each other’s buttons but never going too far.

“You should stop staring. It’s rude,” Audrey singsongs above the music, not even sparing me a glance as her shoulders keep bouncing to the beat.

I shift in my seat to look at her profile more directly. “How can I not stare at such a pretty face? I’m trying to imprint this exact image in my mind. You look like you’re in some kind of commercial for badass ladies who put men in their place.”

Audrey lowers her sunglasses and peeks at me over the frame, a devilish glint in her eye as she drawls, “That’s my lifelong dream.”

“To be in a commercial?” I tease, purposefully missing her point.

“Nah, I’ll pass on that. I’d love to meet some guy who thinks he’s all macho and then I’ll teach him who’s really got the bigger balls.”

“You’re a menace.” I laugh. “I aspire to be you one day.”

“I’ll slip some of my man-eater energy into your suitcase for you.”

“You’re too kind.” In a voice just above a whisper, I add to myself, “I think I’m going to need it.”

We park close to the farthest dock, the one reserved for boats heading to Starry Hill, and find a gentleman with striking pearlescent hair already waiting for us. He almost appears human, but his unique coloring sets him apart in this form. He straightens to his full height when he sees us coming and clasps his hands in front of him in a formal stance before bowing to us .

“Good morning, ladies. I am pleased to make your acquaintance today. My name is Beck. I am the guardian of Starry Hill and here to escort you to the island.”

I bow my head back at him and give an awkward wave when I come up again. “Hi, Beck. It’s so nice to meet you, too. I’m Tilly, Starry Hill’s new nurse. This is my cousin, Audrey. She’s just dropping me off.”

Audrey reaches out with her right hand to shake Beck’s hand. “Lovely to meet you, Beck. Love the suit.” I elbow her in the ribs and she returns my action with a confused, “What?”

I lean toward her and try to look as inconspicuous as possible, mumbling out the side of my mouth, “Lower your hand. Just bow back.”

“Oh.” Audrey follows with a dramatic ninety-degree bow, and I cringe internally. I should’ve prepped her on the possibility of a formal greeting.

Studying the cultures and customs of different species wasn’t part of my curriculum, but I’ve read up on what’s available to the public—it’s been integral to maintaining good bedside manners. I believe understanding each patient’s personal background is important to make them feel comfortable with me. Plus, it’s just common courtesy to know at least the basic customs of your patients. Audrey hasn’t had many interactions with creatures outside of her species, so I should’ve expected my bold cousin to perhaps not know the proper greeting etiquette of a dragon.

Beck steps forward and holds out his hand to Audrey, other hand braced against his chest in a sign of respect. “I’m sorry. I was trying to be all formal there and follow protocol, but honestly, it makes me uncomfortable sometimes. Almost as uncomfortable as this suit is making me right now. It’s so hot and itchy.”

Audrey smirks and I can already feel the inappropriate line before it lands. “Why don’t you take it off then?”

The comment doesn’t seem to bother Beck. His light brows furrow for a split second, then he nods and shrugs off his jacket. Deft fingers reach for his cuffs, and I push Audrey back toward the car before the drool begins dripping from her mouth as Beck rolls up his sleeves.

“Be right back. Just getting some of my bags,” I call as I literally drag Audrey away.

Voice an excited whisper, Audrey hooks her arm through mine and speaks against my ear, “If he is any indication of the kind of creatures you can expect to find on the island, then I’m moving there too. Think they need a tax accountant? I could consider a career change? Maybe I can become a math teacher? They need one of those, right? Are there kids there?”

“Not if you get me fired for sexual harassment by association before I even start my new job, because in that case there will be no Tilly on the island to torment.” I stop walking, icy dread raking down my back. “Wait, do you think there is such a thing as sexual harassment by association? Could I get in trouble for your thirsty comments?”

“Nah, you’re good. He’s cute, but I like my men a little more… brusque and burly. I want them to be a little mean to me, pull my hair and—” Audrey blinks suddenly, her eyes rounding to saucers. “That’s something I’ll need to dissect at a later date. But rest assured, from here on out, I’ll keep it in my pants.” Her to ne changes to sincerity and she takes my hand. “My bad, Tilly. My big mouth is always running away from me before my brain can catch up. I didn’t mean to make you any more stressed than you most likely already are. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. He oddly didn’t seem bothered by any of that.”

“Maybe he didn’t hear?” she asks hopefully.

My lips thin into a flat smile. “Advanced hearing.”

“Fuck.” Audrey grimaces.

As if walking on silent feet, Beck soundlessly appears behind us. “Should I still speak formally or can I switch to my normal way of speaking?”

I give him a reassuring smile. “I think we’d all be more comfortable with being ourselves.”

“Great. Let me help you with your bags. Which one is the heaviest?”

I point to the beast we wrestled into the car and Beck takes the handle with one hand and carries it to the boat without a huff of exertion.

I’m not jealous. I’m a strong, capable woman. A human woman. With other skills. Maybe extra strength wouldn’t be too bad, though. Nope, I’m not starting my first day with species envy. Good for him.

Audrey and I unload the car as Beck carries the bags down the dock. When the car is clear, we join him at the boat with the final pieces of luggage. I take in the size of the boat and how he’s stacked everything neatly in the hull with some kind of distribution strategy it seems. Then I take a step back to assess the sailboat—the hull, the mast, the boom, and other parts I don’t know the names of—and my anxiety activates, slowly clawing up my throat. I did not mentally prepare to be on a sailboat today. I thought it would be some kind of larger engine-driven vessel perhaps.

I’m a curvy girl and I’m acutely aware of my weight in situations like this. The boat is on the smaller side and I’ll need to consider where to sit so I don’t upset the balance somehow. Plus, it’s a sailboat, so it’ll probably lean to one side at some stage—a thought that makes me shudder.

My heart drums an unsteady beat and I swallow against the lump in my throat.

Beck appears in front of me, eyes full of concern. “I sense something is wrong. Stress?”

“I’m okay,” I give him a wobbly smile and tuck my hair behind my ear with shaky fingers. “Just… nervous.”

“Your heart is beating awfully fast, and your scent is… off.”

“You can’t just call her out like that, Beck. Not a cool move, dude,” Audrey admonishes, and rubs my back in soothing circles.

“I apologize,” Beck says with a bow of his head. “I find it hard to read creatures sometimes and know which remarks are inappropriate. How can I fix the situation?”

I think I understand where Beck is coming from, and I make a mental note to be more gracious with his unfiltered honesty and directness. “Maybe tell me where I can sit? I don’t want to upset the balance of the boat.”

“Oh, I usually sit close to the stern on the port side. So you can sit on the starboard side. That means on the right. Or if you don’t feel like being close to the edge, you can sit in the center? ”

“Um,” I start, then clear my throat in the hopes that my voice comes out steadier. “Won’t weight distribution factor into where I should sit?” Even asking the question makes my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“For other skippers it would. But I control the boat with my power, so it’s not a problem for me. You can sit where you feel most happy and I’ll balance it out.”

My anxiety melts away at those words. I love my body… on most days, but there are moments where I’m a little shy about it too. Creatures, both human and other species, can be mean sometimes. Let’s hope the rest of my interactions on the island will be as positive as this one.

“Thank you, Beck. Let me just say goodbye to Audrey, then I’ll be ready.”

Beck nods and I turn to Audrey, just as her mask slips into place and all the emotion that was pulling the corners of her mouth down disappears.

She pushes her sunglasses up her nose. “Let’s not get too soppy right now. We’ll see each other soon enough.”

I smile, because I knew we wouldn’t have a super emotional goodbye. We said all we had to say this morning. “I’ll call when I can. Signal might be spotty,” I remind Audrey.

“I’ll wait for my invitation once you’re settled in your first official home.”

“I’m going to spruce it the fuck up for you.”

“No. Do it for you .”

I lean forward to hug her and we allow ourselves a three-second squeeze before we step back.

“I left a stash of blood-sugar friendly snacks in the pantry. Make sure you pop some in your bag before you leave the house. Every. Day,” I add in a stern voice and a pointed finger for emphasis.

Mouth twitching into a smile, Audrey’s voice comes out thicker than she most likely intended, “Yes, Nurse Tilly. I promise.”

Beck helps me into the boat and I bravely settle onto the bench on the starboard side.

“See you soon!” Audrey calls as Beck unties the rope from the cleats. I wave back and slip my sunglasses on to distract myself from the nerves trickling through my body.

To our right, boats of all types and sizes neatly line the harbor. A few have humans on them getting ready for a day out on the water, but they don’t pay us much attention as Beck navigates our boat around them, away from Cape Easton, and into the waters of Indigo Bay.

It’s a calm, windless day and I thank whatever power is responsible for the ocean’s glassy surface that I don’t have to worry about motion sickness symptoms. Despite living in a coastal city, I’ve never been on a boat like Beck’s.

I take one last look back at Cape Easton and prepare myself to not see it for a very long time. I’m prepared to fully embrace my life on Starry Hill, and don’t expect to be taking many trips back to the mainland.

Once we reach open water, I take a deep breath of fresh sea air and relax into the ride, enjoying the sight of the late-morning sun sparkling across the navy blue surface and the smooth motion of the sailboat .

Glancing over at Beck, I note his one hand over the side of the boat. I’m not too sure about the kind of power he’s using, since dragons are quite secretive, but I can assume it has to do with water. Except for basic health stuff shared with the medical community, and making some information available about their greeting customs, dragons have not divulged much about their culture.

“You don’t seem to need sails, or an engine. How’s the boat moving so fast?” I ask, hoping he feels comfortable enough to share this information with me, but also willing to sit in silence if he prefers that.

“No need for them right now. I’m directing us with the current. It’s such a short distance that it’ll take more time to get the sails down and use the wind than to simply play with the water to get us to the island.”

I will not envy cool powers. Again. I’m an intelligent woman with my own gifts. Like diagnosing weird shit with only obscure pieces of information. And scrapbooking. I’m great at scrapbooking. And hopefully gardening. I’ve never had a garden before, but I like flowers and plants. That’s good enough, right?

I blink back into the present and smile at Beck. “That is extremely cool. The boat is really pretty too. Is it yours?”

Beck glides his free hand over the teak wood. “Yes. My parents gave it to me as a present when I got assigned my role as guardian of Starry Hill. It’s traditional to be gifted a boat on such a momentous occasion.”

“That’s lovely. They must be very proud of you. ”

“Look! You can see the highest hill from here.” I accept the topic change and squint my eyes to where he’s pointing. I see nothing but ocean.

I’m pretty used to being one of the more competent creatures in the room, having studied my butt off and doing extra research on numerous topics so I can be well-informed, but I did not foresee this odd feeling of inferiority despite logically understanding we’re different species. Moving to this island is going to be quite the mental adjustment, and not just fresh air and long walks on the beach.

After more time than I’d like to admit, I finally make out the blue-gray shape of a hill in the distance and I audibly breathe a sigh of relief at the first look of my new home.